Don't Judge a Girl by her Cover: The Untold Story (A Gallagher Girls Fanfic)

Chapter 8

Being a spy is dangerous, nobody can deny that, but keeping another spy safe is even harder than that. Not to mention when the spy you're trying to keep safe doesn't know you're trying to keep her safe.

And I'm doing exactly that. Why? That seems to be the question of the hour. I don't know why I care so much.

Cammie's the most beautiful girl I've ever met, I swear. She's not beautiful in the obvious model way Macey McHenry is. She's beautiful in the way a girl is when she doesn't know how beautiful she is. I always saw it though. She's the smartest and most brave girl I know.

When I met her, I knew she wasn't exactly America's sweetheart but Cammie's everything. She sweet and sassy and more than a little stubborn. I guess her stubbornness made me want her more than just her beauty. I'm not one of those guys who only cares about what she looks like. There's always something else.

I was at the presidential party in Washington D.C. for the Winters and McHenry campaign to watch the vote. Macey was supposed to be here and that meant that Cammie would be here too. I had no doubt.

I thought back to the sad look in her eyes as I said the words she didn't want to here, 'the Gallagher Academy doesn't admit fools'.

I knew that I hurt her.

What did I say to her now? I'm not really a fool or the Gallagher Academy really does admit fools?

I wondered if she hated me.

Then they walked in.

Cammie, Macey, Bex, and Liz came into the room and my breath caught.

I heard Cammie's mother tell her to stay put and she walked away with Macey's mother close on her heels.

Something was wrong.

"Cammie." A boy was moving toward her and almost immediately I went tense. "Hey, I thought that was you." Preston made his way towards Cammie.

Cammie stared, Bex was eyeing him up, and Liz was fiddling with her shirt.

At the front of the room, the announcer called everyone to silence, and ordered the sound on one of the televisions. "Yes, it's official. We are officially calling Ohio governor Winters and McHenry's," the anchorman said and there was a loud cheer -followed by applause. People raised their glasses to a toast.

"So are you friends of Macey's too?" Preston turned to look at Bex and Liz.

I'm pretty sure that Cammie would have been annoyed that I was watching her but that never stopped me before.  The thing is, I'm a spy and sometimes spies don't do things that are necessarily in the best interest of the person they are spying on.

Then, Cammie's Culture and assimilation course of study stepped in and she used her training to be polite to the dweeb. I mean, why other than that would she talk to him? In other words -I was jealous.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said apologetically. "Preston Winters, this is Rebecca."

"Bex," she corrected, minus the British accent and a put on American one.

"Liz," she nodded towards the tiniest and blondest of the bunch who blushed and said nothing. "So, are you ready for this to be over?" Cammie went on to ask.

He leaned closer and whispered something to Cammie.

"I have a feeling the secret service would not like your choice of words," Bex said with a grin.

He laughed. "I guess not."

He looked at Cammie and said, "Hey, can I talk to you for a second?" Cammie looked at Bex and Liz, as if asking permission.

They nodded.

They walked to a quiet corner of the party.

I followed enough so I was just in earshot of the conversation and Cammie wouldn't notice.

"I fully admit that what I'm about to say officially makes me a girl," Preston said. Cammie laughed out loud.

Already are one, I thought.

"And I'm owning up to that," He carried on. "So that's gotta be worth something right?"

She bit back a smile. "Right."

"But it's just that I've got to ask you about...Does Macey ever say anything about me?" He blurted out.

Okay, I admit the kid's got guts. I'm always thinking about whether or not Cammie thinks about me. But I'd never be able to ask her roommates.

There was silence.

"She doesn't say much about any of this," she finally admitted. She gestured toward the party. "It's not really...her, you know?"

Preston smiled and I knew I wasn't really either.

"Do you ever think about Boston Cammie?" He asked.

Yeah, duh!

"I do," he said. Then smiled. "She's really something isn't she?"

"Yeah," Cammie said slowly. "She really is."

I noticed how Preston looked at Cammie as if she had been looked at once or twice before. "Something tells me that she's not the only one," he eyed Cammie and I couldn't help but agree with him. She really was something.

"Preston-" Cammie began but Preston just shook his head.

"Whatever secrets you and Macey have, Cammie, I don't want to know them." He took a step away then came closer. I thought he might kiss her and I thought that I might beat him to a pulp and make him cry like a baby. Okay, I fully admit that was fully extreme but my heart was beating too fast for me to keep up.

"Just tell me one thing: Does it involve spandex?" A goofy grin spread across his face. "Because in my mind, it involves spandex."

"Preston," Cammie laughed, slapping his arm lightly.

Then I left and in the next two minutes I found her moving towards me.

Cammie was looking at me.

"I hear someone's playing hooky," I told her, smiling a little bit.

It was like nothing bad had ever happened and her eyes were sparkling.

"There's a boy in my life," she said, biting her lip and smiling a little. "He's a very bad influence."

I nodded. "Bad boys have a way of doing that. But they're worth it."

I leaned close to her and whispered in her ear, "Can I talk to you." My hand was in hers and in a moment, I was leading my Gallagher Girl out the side door and into a darkened alley.

Cammie shivered and wrapped her arms around her chest.

So I took my jacket off and draped the jacket on her shoulders. My hands stayed on her shoulders for a  moment and I stared into her eyes. Her eyes seemed so dark out here in the night as confetti floated in the air.

I wasn't surprised when Cammie whispered, "Why were you in Boston?"

I stepped back and shook my head, looking at the ground. "There are things I can't tell you, Gallagher Girl," I muttered.

"Can't?" She asked. "Or won't?"

I, of course, did not answer, just looked at her, as if to say, What's the difference?

She looked at me. "Tell me," she whispered.

I stared at her -she was so beautiful and all I could think of was the fear I had of losing her to my mother and what would happen to her.

I wasn't the same boy who had kissed Cammie last spring but she also wasn't the same girl either.

"There are some things you don't want to know," I said softly.

She seemed willing to believe me. Her gaze locked in mine.

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